There’s a university and
an organisation I know about which promote and protect diversity. Much more than
some others do. And consistently deliver
results. Also much more than some others do. Whether their performance is
because of the diversity in their fabric, or in spite of it, is a matter best left
to your wisdom and dispensation.
If you have a graduate
degree in any discipline you can seek admission to any of the post graduate
courses there. Admission tests for different courses are conducted on separate
days to allow the applicants a shot at many of them. While the question papers are
in English, you can choose to write your answers in any of the listed languages.
You have to answer any five out of the twenty five questions asked. Even
without prior background or preparation, you will always find your five
questions to answer, since seven or eight questions usually pertain to topics
of general interest.
Such open practices and
other unrevealed algorithms of the admissions process guarantee that every new
batch has a fair representation of students from different regions, ethnicities,
social classes, and income groups.
Attending classes is not
mandatory. You can take books to refer to during the exams. If you miss a test,
professors will be quite comfortable to have you write a term paper and assign
grades. You can register for elective
courses in any other department. There are neither curfew hours nor boundary
walls in the hostels. The academic, administrative and financial councils of
the institution have student representatives. Spontaneous teacher and student
support against injustice and wrongdoing is a common sight. Talent is on full
display all the while and everywhere. Dissenters turn into collaborators and
yet again into dissenters with ease.
Pick any student, and ask
what is best about the place. Most likely, you will get the answer, “I can be me”.
Ask any teacher whether every student's 'I can be me' adversely affects the university's basic character and purpose. Most likely, you will get the answer, "not at all; the elements of our core remain unaffected, since, no student, even while acting and thinking alone, is against them".
Ask any teacher whether every student's 'I can be me' adversely affects the university's basic character and purpose. Most likely, you will get the answer, "not at all; the elements of our core remain unaffected, since, no student, even while acting and thinking alone, is against them".
Switch your attention to
the organisation now. It is a multinational, which gradually turned diverse in
the course of entering and growing in different markets. The more diverse
people, practices, views and ideas it assimilated, the more it appreciated
the needs and benefits of diversity.
In recent years, its focus
on diversity has become sharper, since it serves a more diverse set of
stakeholders and customers, needs diverse skills, and seeks to grow its sources
of talent. That much is by design.
In its operations in a
particular country though, the promotion and protection of diversity happened by
accident. The organisation grew so fast there that it hired good people of all
types from just about anywhere. As a result, it now has lots of different models of
success and ways of working for any employee to emulate. Lots of stereotypes stand broken. Every
person finds at least some like-minded, even non-like-minded, supporters. And concludes, “the place does
support me to be me”. The organisation has one more step to take, from ‘supporting’
its people to be themselves to ‘desiring’ that they be so.
Other organisations, where such an accident hasn't happened, and who are focussed
exclusively on improving the diversity demographics, need to also get to a point where an employee would say, “looks like people here really want me to be me”.
By design.
I believe such organizations are growing .. mostly small and entrepreneurial in nature, they focus on bringing like-minded people together and then pursue meaningful work in a manner, best described as "Purposeful Meandering" ... One of the most recent ones I came across is mysunnybalcony.com - a small team that is transforming the face of balcony gardens in Bangalore ... can't help but cheer...
ReplyDeleteThanks Shweta. I suspected it was you driving up my readership in HK :-)
ReplyDeleteOne of my two professional objectives at this time is to get together an informal group of 50 good professionals of diverse fields to do different work and work differently in order to make their future work. I think you meant to leave this comment on that piece ? Best wishes, and a happy new year.
Hello again ... while the network point was related to the other article, I was trying to make a point about organizations that are letting people being themselves (Letting Me be Me) ... I think it is similar to the concept of "when the student is ready, the teacher arrives" ... so also it is with knowledge workers .. because people are increasingly willing to deal with flexible earnings, building careers around learning themes (rather than promotions) and minimal to non-existent benefits, organizations are beginning to see the value in this as well ... Happy New Year and Best Wishes to you too
ReplyDeleteI see now. Thick me.
ReplyDelete